The Effects of Different Types of Restrictions on Decision-Making in Humans
Location
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (CBSS)
Session Format
Oral Presentation
Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors
Dr. Jonathan Friedel, Faculty Advisor
Abstract
Delay discounting reflects how rapidly a reward loses perceived value based on the delay to receiving the reward (MacKillop et al, 2011). For example, choosing to spend money now rather than saving money for retirement. One limitation of discounting research is that the conditions of the delay are not specified, so different participants might be interpreting the delays to the rewards differently. The current study sought to measure how individuals discount for three different hypothetical types of delay. The scenarios were (1) the participant is free to go about their day while waiting, (2) they are limited to a laboratory room with access to computer where they are free to browse the internet, and (3) a restricted scenario in which they are limited to a laboratory room with no sources of entertainment. A significant difference in discounting was found three types of delays (F_(1.86,201.31)= 6.124, p = .003). Specifically, there was a higher degree of discounting in the restricted scenario (M = 0.309, p < .001) than in the free scenario (M = 0.393, p < .001). Participants discounting more steeply in the restricted scenario suggests individuals are more impulsive when facing greater restrictions. Additional implications will also be discussed.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Presentation Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Small, Megan, "The Effects of Different Types of Restrictions on Decision-Making in Humans" (2021). GS4 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium. 77.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2021/2021/77
The Effects of Different Types of Restrictions on Decision-Making in Humans
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (CBSS)
Delay discounting reflects how rapidly a reward loses perceived value based on the delay to receiving the reward (MacKillop et al, 2011). For example, choosing to spend money now rather than saving money for retirement. One limitation of discounting research is that the conditions of the delay are not specified, so different participants might be interpreting the delays to the rewards differently. The current study sought to measure how individuals discount for three different hypothetical types of delay. The scenarios were (1) the participant is free to go about their day while waiting, (2) they are limited to a laboratory room with access to computer where they are free to browse the internet, and (3) a restricted scenario in which they are limited to a laboratory room with no sources of entertainment. A significant difference in discounting was found three types of delays (F_(1.86,201.31)= 6.124, p = .003). Specifically, there was a higher degree of discounting in the restricted scenario (M = 0.309, p < .001) than in the free scenario (M = 0.393, p < .001). Participants discounting more steeply in the restricted scenario suggests individuals are more impulsive when facing greater restrictions. Additional implications will also be discussed.
